Securing Cislunar Missions: A Location-Based Authentication Approach

As the evolution of next-generation communication networks proceeds, several wireless devices gain access to such networks, and the amount of transmitted data is rapidly increasing. Yet, with more and more critical data requiring confidential transmission and protection on the network, the security risks for wireless communications networks are even more significant. Considering the fixed-trajectory nature of satellites orbiting the Earth, it is worth investigating how this invariant can be leveraged to ensure security and reliability. In this paper, we propose a location-based authentication framework for cislunar space with distance verification to realize secure authentication. Expanding on this foundation, this study proposes tolerance variations based on relative orbital positions and noise sources in space. In addition, we performed Monte Carlo simulations under the assumption of noisy propagation conditions, providing a robust evaluation of the proposed framework's performance in diverse and challenging lunar communication scenarios.